Premature Hair Graying (PHG) – Hereditary Or A Health Concern?

Many young people suffer from premature hair graying (PHG) as they enter into their teens or early twenties. Ongoing research has revealed that there can be numerous causes of premature graying. Some common factors being genetic and vitamin, mineral and protein deficiency. Having issues with your pituitary or thyroid gland can cause premature graying although this is reversible if the problem is corrected.

Smoking and fast food aides in development of free radicals causing an increase in oxidative stress in the body resulting in a decrease in pigment capacity of the melanin which leads to gray hair. Research has shown that smoking puts one at risk of PHG with two and a half times more likely before the age of 30 compared to those that don’t. Processed and junk foods accelerate aging, and sugar from these foods attach to proteins in the skin and create AGE (Advanced Glycation End Product) accelerating aging in skin and also loss in hair color.

White or gray hairs appearing just over the forelock area or in patchy occurring early in life may be associated with systemic conditions like vitiligo and other autoimmune conditions. Regardless of ones age, research has found that PHG is a predictor of a risk of coronary heart disease which leads to heart attacks.

In my next article I will cover some natural ways of avoiding PHG and also the effects of certain styling methods that can cause graying hair.